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Meet Mr. Callaghan
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Wikipedia article
'Meet Mr. Callaghan' is a 1954 British crime drama film directed by Charles Saunders and starring Derrick De Marney. Based on the 1938 novel 'The Urgent Hangman' by Peter Cheyney, which Cheyney had then turned into a play.
Co-producer and star Derrick de Marney had directed the stage version of 'Meet Mr. Callaghan' at the Garrick Theatre in 1952, which starred Derrick's brother Terence as Cheyney's private eye Slim Callaghan. Derrick played this role in the film.
The play was notable for the theme music and score by Eric Spear which became a best-selling record for Les Paul.#5, Billboard
Plot
Down at heel private detective Slim Callaghan is hired by young socialite Cynthis Meraulton to investigate other family members after her rich stepfather changes his will in her favour. She suspects he will be killed and the new will destroyed. When her stepfather is subsequently murdered, suspicion falls on Cynthis.
Cast
* Derrick De Marney as Slim Callaghan
* Harriette Johns as Cynthis Meraulton
* Adrienne Corri as Mayola
* Delphi Lawrence as Effie
* Belinda Lee as Jenny Appleby
* Larry Burns as Darky
* Peter Neil as William Meraulton
* Robert Adair as August Meraulton
* Trevor Reid as Inspector Gringall
* John Longden as Jeremy Meraulton
* Roger Williams as Bellamy Meraulton
* Frank Henderson as Paul Meraulton
* Frank Sieman as Sergeant Fields
* Michael Partridge as Jengel
* Howard Douglas as Tweest
* John Ainsworth as P.C. Masters
* Michael Balfour as Coffee Stallkeeper
Production
Peter Cheyney's novel 'The Urgent Hangman' was published in 1938. It was the first in a series of novels by Cheyney featured private investigator Slim Callaghan, others including 'Dangerous Curves' (1939), 'You Can't Keep the Change' (1940), 'It Couldn't Matter Less' (1941), 'Sorry You've Been Troubled' (1942), 'They Never Say When' (1944) and 'Uneasy Terms' (1946). 'Uneasy Terms' was turned into a 1948 film.
'The Urgent Hangman' was adapted by Gerald Verner into a play 'Meet Mr Callaghan' which premiered at the Garrick Theatre in 1952. The role of Slim Callaghan was played by Terence De Marney and the production was directed by de Marney's brother Derrick.[https://archive.org/details/variety186-195206/page/n57/mode/1up?q=%22meet+mr+callaghan%22 Review of 1952 stage production] at 'Variety' The play was very successful, with 340 performances. It inspired a hit song.
Terence De Marney played Callaghan in another Gerald Verne theatrical adaptation of a Callaghan story, 'Dangerous Curves', which premiered at the Garrick in April 1953.[https://archive.org/details/variety190-1953-04/page/n298/mode/1up?q=%22meet+mr+callaghan%22 Review of 'Dangerous Curves' stage production] at 'Variety'
In the film version of 'Meet Mr Callaghan', the role of Slim Callaghan was played by Derrick de Marney, not Terence. Filming took place at Nettleford Studios in September 1953.
It was the second film from Belinda Lee.
Critical reception
'Monthly Film Bulletin' said the "transference" from stage to screen "has been made without much imagination. The involved plot is helped along by a few barbed lines but Derrick de Marney fails to make a sympathetic hero out of a private detective who stoops to robbery, blackmail and bribery in his investigations."
'TV Guide' wrote, "Mystery programmer has a couple of good moments, but little else": whereas 'MysteryFile' noted, "The detective work is very good, and the complicated plot holds together, but it's the overall sense of good humor that really carries the day not laugh out loud funny, but the mood is light enough to smile almost constantly."
References
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